


Colonel: The Tripod Wonderpup

by NeverBeenSane



Category: Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluffy Ending, How does one do these tag things?, I only meant for this to be a 500 word fic and it turned into a 9k+ beast, M/M, Some people have issues with that so I figured I'd tag it, Tony's probably ooc, Tumblr Prompt, but I have issues writing him anyway, the dog is a pit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-04
Updated: 2014-06-04
Packaged: 2018-02-03 10:22:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1741196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeverBeenSane/pseuds/NeverBeenSane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve and Bucky had an agreement before they started volunteering at the shelter: no adopting a dog, no matter how cute. Too bad Bucky's never really been able to stop himself from wanting what he knows (or, more precisely, thinks) he can't have.</p>
<p>It's probably a good thing that, in the end, Steve just can't say no to him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Colonel: The Tripod Wonderpup

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this](http://never-been-sane.tumblr.com/post/84001705759) post. 
> 
> The Colonel is based off of my own rescue pit who actually does have his own [Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/peteythepibble?ref=br_tf) for a similar reason as to why Colonel has one. The only major difference (besides being different sexes) is that my dog, despite nearly losing his leg, does still has all four limbs while Colonel lost one.

     Parking his motorcycle in front of the rescue shelter that they'd been volunteering at for the past year, Steve glanced behind himself when, after he'd cut the engine, Bucky slid off the pillion and moved to stand beside him. Glancing up at the other man, Steve unzipped his jacket and said, "Remember, we're just here to volunteer not to adopt; no matter how cute they are."  
  
      "I think I'm aware of that considering you say that every time we come here. Besides, Punk, it's not like we'd be able to carry one home on this hunk of junk." Bucky said, smirking and nodding to the bike. He knew that the bike was actually in tip-top shape, he'd never have let Steve on the thing if it wasn't, but he loved yanking Steve's chain about his beloved Harley-Davidson; especially since it was the first major item he'd bought himself after he'd been unthawed. 

     "Hey, leave Danu alone, Jerk." Steve said, rolling his eyes playfully and swinging himself off the bike. Slipping his keys into the pocket of his jeans, Steve led the way into the shelter with Bucky trailing behind. Steve smiled kindly at Magnolia ("Please, Captain Rogers, call me Maggie. Magnolia is my great-grandmother's name." **"But-"** _"Steve, take it from someone who prefers their nickname, just call her Maggie."_ **"Fine."** ) when she looked up from the paperwork she was filling out. Steve absently noted that she'd dyed her hair again since the last time he'd seen her; it was now a dark purple instead of the warm chestnut brown he remembered. 

     Smiling brightly when she recognized the two men walking in, Maggie grabbed the clipboard that held the volunteer sign-in sheet and said, "Morning, Cap. Morning, Sarge. I was wondering when y'all would drop back in." 

     Steve chuckled softly and said, "Morning, Maggie. Work's been a little hectic."

     "I can only imagine." She said, shooting him a playful grin as she slid the clipboard across the counter to him. As Steve signed the two of them in, she looked up at Bucky and said, "There's a few new arrivals and a transfer that I think you'd get along with. The Colonel in particular."

     The corner of Bucky's mouth quirked upwards as he shot Maggie a curious look and said, "The Colonel?"

     "Hey, she came with the name." Maggie said, shrugging a shoulder and tucking a stray lock of hair that had fallen from her ponytail behind her ear.

      "Alright. I'll take a look at this Colonel." Bucky said, tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

      "Do y'all want to keep your jackets back here? I know the dogs tend to ruin leather." Maggie asked, looking between them as she took the sign in sheet back from Steve.

      "Sure. Thanks, Maggie." Steve said, slipping his bomber jacket off while Bucky huffed softly before following suit. As Maggie had tucked their jackets away, Steve turned to Bucky and asked, "Do you want me to head with you to check out the new arrivals or do you want to do it alone?"

      Bucky chewed on his bottom lip for a moment, quickly weighing the pros and cons, before he responded, "Nah, I know you want to go see the older pups and give them some loving. I'll be fine on my own this time."

      Steve smiled shyly at Bucky and said, "I'll either be in the kennels or in the wash room if you need me."

      "Aw, c'mon, Punk. They're just a few pups. I'll be fine." Bucky said, gently punching Steve's shoulder with his flesh-and-blood hand.

      "I know, I know." Steve said, rolling his eyes as Maggie walked around the counter. Clapping Bucky on the shoulder, he headed down the wing with the older dogs who had been at the shelter for a few years while Maggie led Bucky down to the new arrivals area. Bucky looked around curiously at the dogs as they bounced around in their cages and barked at them as they passed by. Turning his attention back to Maggie, he asked, "What's so special about Colonel?"

      "Colonel....well....her last home was pretty abusive." Maggie said, glancing back at Bucky. "You'd never be able to tell though. She's the sweetest pittie I've ever met. A little oblivious about how strong she is now that she's no longer emaciated and has most of her muscle mass back. She just came in since we've got more room than our partner shelter across town."

      "What...What kind of abuse?" Bucky asked, frowning as Maggie stopped at the end of the row.

      "Left out in the elements, starved, beaten. She got hit by a car and lost her front leg so she's a tripod pup now." Maggie replied honestly, turning to look at Bucky. She shot him a small half-smile and added, "She's been through hell and back but she's got the sweetest disposition I've ever seen in any dog. It may be out of line but I think you can identify with that, Sarge."

      Bucky felt his throat tighten as Maggie looked at him with a sympathetic expression. Letting out a deep breath, he said, "Maybe a little out of line, Mags....But I think you're probably right. She's a pitbull, right?"

      "Yes, sir, though pit is a pretty broad term to describe a bunch of breeds. She's got a bowling ball for a head and tends to go for the family jewels so I'd protect them if I were you." Maggie said, turning her attention back to the cage in front of her. Bucky followed her gaze and frowned when saw a fairly large sized dog curled up in its bed; fast asleep.

      "She's asleep." Bucky said, surprised that Colonel was sleeping through the noise of about twenty other dogs barking their throats raw.

      "She has a talent." Maggie said with a soft chuckle before she grabbed the leash that was hanging beside the cage door. Silently opening the cage door, she slipped into the cage before shutting it behind her. Maggie whistled softly and said, "Colonel. Someone's here to see you, baby girl."

      Colonel huffed softly and lifted her head to blink blearily at Maggie. Realizing that her handler was in her cage, Colonel pushed herself up with her one good leg and hobbled over to Maggie with an unmistakable puppy-grin plastered across her features. Maggie knelt down and hooked the leash onto Colonel's collar before straightening up. Bucky stood close to the cage door and smiled as Colonel stuck her nose between the bars to sniff his pant leg. Chuckling, he slowly moved his flesh-and-blood hand so that she could sniff it and get used to his scent. Maggie watched them carefully and grinned when Colonel started licking his fingers and nudging his hand to get him to pet her.

      "She likes you." Maggie said, grinning brightly. "Want to take her outside? Play fetch or something? The previous shelter had been working with her for about four months now so she's pretty well trained."

      Bucky looked down at Colonel and melted a little when he saw that she was wagging her tail so hard that her entire hind end was swaying. Looking back up at Maggie, he said, "Yeah. I'll take her out to one of the runs. You can get back to the front counter."

      Maggie nodded and tightened her hold on Colonel's leash before she opened the door and led her out. Colonel immediately jumped up and placed her paw on Bucky's chest, trying to lick his face. Chuckling softly, Bucky scratched behind her ear before he said, "Down, girl. You can crawl all over me when we're outside."

      Colonel slid down his front and kept wagging her tail hard enough to make her hind end wiggle. Maggie giggled and handed Bucky the leash before bidding him adieu and heading back to her post. Bucky looked down at Colonel and grinned when he saw her looking up at him with a clearly excited expression. Chucking, he led her towards the door to the gated runs and said, "C'mon, girl. Let's get you some exercise."

  

      After about an hour and a half of helping one of the shelter's other volunteers wash and dry various dogs, Steve wandered out to the runs to try to find Bucky. It wasn't until he'd reached the last one that he spotted the other man. Frowning when he saw Bucky sitting in the grass, he jogged towards him and called, "Buck?"

      "Hey, Steve." Bucky said, looking up and grinning so widely that Steve was struck by just how much he looked like he had back before the war.

      It had been a long road to get to this point, nearly a year and a half, but Steve knew he wouldn't trade anything in the world for the fact that he had Bucky back in his life. Finally taking notice of the large taupe dog that had curled up in Bucky's lap and rested its huge head on Bucky's thigh, Steve sighed softly and asked, "Who's this?"

      "This is The Colonel." Bucky said, smiling fondly down at the dog in a way that made Steve's chest tighten uncomfortably and a shot of jealousy to shoot down his spine. Looking back up at Steve, he started to absent-mindedly stroke her side as he said, "She's been at the shelter across town for about ten months and is really friendly and loveable in spite of the fact that she's been through hell and back."

      Steve glanced at Colonel as she shifted slightly in her sleep and, with a small frown, quietly said, "We really can't adopt her, Buck."

      Bucky's smile dimmed noticeably as he continued to unthinkingly stroke Colonel's side. Sighing disappointedly, he looked down at the dog in his lap and said, "I know. We're gone too often on missions to properly take care of her. Stark probably wouldn't want a dog tearing up the tower anyway even if we do pretty much have our own floor."

      Steve frowned as he watched Bucky's shoulders hunch over. He hated upsetting his best friend but there wasn't a feasible way that he could think of for them to take care of a dog. He was about to open his mouth to say....something reassuring when Bucky gently shook Colonel's shoulder and started to softly speak to her to wake her up; saying things like _'come on, baby girl. Time to get up. You gotta go back to your kennel now.'_

      Steve backed up and watched silently as Colonel lifted her head and licked Bucky's chin causing the other man to chuckle and scratch behind her ear with a besotted look on his face. After a few moments, Colonel clamored out of Bucky's lap and Steve felt his chest tighten even further when he saw that her front right leg was missing from her elbow down. Bucky hooked her leash back on and silently led her back to her cage with Steve trailing silently behind him.

      As they were walking away from her kennel, Colonel whined and barked as if she were a human child begging her parents not to leave her at the daycare. Steve glanced over just in time to see Bucky's jaw tighten as they walked into the main lobby from the kennels. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Colonel sitting in her kennel looking thoroughly dejected. Brushing away the sinking feeling in his gut, Steve stopped by the front desk and got his and Bucky's jackets. Maggie glanced between them curiously as Bucky just shoved his arms into his jacket and stalked towards the door.

      Steve sighed and, at her questioning look, explained, "He wants to keep Colonel but we can't adopt her."

      "Steve, she's a pitbull; which means she likely won't ever get adopted even though we are training her to be a service dog." Maggie said, sighing softly and shaking her head. Looking up at Steve, she said, "Pits have a stigma for being a bad breed; which is bullshit. It's not the breed's fault that certain owners don't raise their dogs right. She's a sweetheart and I'd love to take her in but both my girlfriend and my boyfriend would kill me if I brought home _another_ dog."

      "We really can't-"

      "I know, being superheroes is a very demanding day-job. But...Maybe Sarge just wants someone to cuddle when you're away on solo missions."

      "We're not...We're just friends, Maggie."

      "Friends don't look at friends like they hung the moon and stars, Cap." Maggie said, smiling slightly. After a beat, Maggie adopted a more stern expression and said, "Colonel's likely going to be here for a very long time. Her breed is a lifer in here. Very few people want to adopt a tripod dog and even fewer want to adopt a pit. The likelihood of someone wanting to adopt a tripod pit is...well....I don't want to think about how little a chance there is that she's going to get adopted. Just...think it over. I think Colonel could do both you and Sarge some good."

      "I'll think it over. Have a good day." Steve said, slipping his jacket on and heading towards the door. Bucky was waiting for him by the bike and Steve could tell he was upset. Sighing softly, Steve stopped in front of him and placed a hand on his side.

      "I know we can't adopt her; doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt to just leave her in there." Bucky said, not taking his eyes off of his boots.

      "I'm really sorry, Buck."

      "It's not your fault that I always seem to want what I know I can't have." Bucky said, sighing and shaking his head. Steve frowned, wondering what Bucky meant by that. He was about to ask when Bucky finally looked up from his shoes and, shooting Steve a strained smile, said, "Let's just go home. It's movie night and Tasha said we were supposed to be watching a few Disney movies."

 

     Over the next two months, Bucky would, barring any missions that cropped up, disappear for a couple hours a day without telling Steve, or anyone else, where he was going. It wasn't unusual for Bucky to want to have some alone time and Steve did have an inkling to where his friend was disappearing. An inkling which was confirmed when Maggie sent him a picture message of Bucky and Colonel playing in the small kiddie pool that the shelter set up for their dogs during the summer months. Bucky had stripped down to a navy blue tank top and a pair of black camo swim trunks and had his head thrown back in laughter as he sprayed water from a garden hose at Colonel; who was trying to drink from the hose and failing spectacularly if the photo was anything to go by.

     When Sam walked into the kitchen, Steve was sitting at the bar in the common kitchen on the Avengers' shared floor just staring at his phone. Opening the fridge and looking around for something to drink, he glanced over at Steve and said, "Hey, Steve."

     "Bucky wants to adopt a dog." Steve stated, without any preamble and without looking up from his phone. He couldn't remember the last time, this century, he'd seen Bucky look that happy.

     "Why hasn't he?" Sam asked, looking over his shoulder at his friend.

     "When we started to volunteer at the shelter, we agreed that we wouldn't adopt any of them because we couldn't actually take care of it properly." Steve replied, sighing softly and setting his phone down.

     "So? He doesn't actually need your approval to adopt a dog. You two aren't in a romantic relationship even though everyone pretty much knows you're head over heels for each other." Sam pointed out, grabbing a can of V8 V-Fusion Sparkling Black Cherry and Pomegranate before shutting the door again.

     "Why does everyone feel the need to keep pointing that out?" Steve muttered, scrubbing his face.

     "Steve, the team's got a bet going on when you and Barnes are going to pull your heads out of your asses and finally acknowledge what everyone already knows." Sam said, leaning against the counter and popping the top on his drink.

     Steve shot him an unamused look and said, "Bucky's just a friend, Sam."

     "According to the history books, so was Agent Carter." Sam shot back, raising an eyebrow and taking a sip of his drink.

     "That's not fair, Sam."

     "Life ain't fair, Steve, and you know that." Sam said, frowning. After a moment, Sam shook his head and continued, "I'm your friend, ok? I would do just about anything for you but I am not going to sugar coat this. You love Bucky, Bucky loves you. And that dog. Go adopt the damn dog for him and kiss him senseless before Tony finally snaps and just locks the two of you in a closet until that unresolved sexual tension finally gets resolved."

     "How are we going to take care of a three legged dog, Sam?" Steve asked, running a hand through his hair. It wasn't that he didn't want to get Colonel for Bucky; especially since he knew that she would make him happy. He just wasn't positive that they could adequately provide attention for her between the two of them.

     "You and Buck don't always go on missions together, take turns watching her. When you're both on missions, one of the team can make sure she gets her walks and loving. If we're all busy, I'm sure that Pepper or JARVIS can find a reputable dog sitter to take care of her." Sam said, raising an eyebrow. "Honestly, I think this dog could do a lot of good for both you and Bucky. And maybe even the rest of the crew, if she's actually being trained as a PTSD service dog like website says."

     "You looked up Colonel?"

     "Yeah. She's got her own Facebook page, man." Sam said, smirking playfully.

     "Huh....I didn't know."

     "The shelter created a page for her after her miraculous pull through. I mean, she lost her leg but it could have been so much worse. I've seen the before pictures, man, that dog should not have survived what she went through but she did. Kinda reminds me of two emotionally-constipated geriatric supersoldiers."

     "Bucky and I are not emotionally-constipated."

     "Uh-huh. And why haven't you two kissed yet?"

     "We have, just not since he fell." Steve said, glaring at Sam.

     Sam blinked and just stared at Steve for a moment before he said, "The history books didn't say anything about that."

     "Of course they wouldn't; no one actually knew. Well, no one who would tell." Steve said, sighing softly and rubbing his eyes again.

     "Did you two have a romantic relationship?"

     "Not exactly. We couldn't officially be together back then and it's irrelevant now since Buck doesn't remember any of it and, even if he did, I know that he doesn't feel the same way I do."

     "Have you talked about it? About your old relationship or about your feelings?"

     "No, but-"

     "No buts. You can't know how he feels unless he actually tells you, Steve." Sam said, leaning against the counter. The two of them glanced up when Tony and Bruce wandered in bickering about something to do with science. Sam cleared his throat and said, "Yo, Stark, how pissed would you be if Cap adopted a dog?"

    "I didn't say I was actually going to adopt her." Steve pointed out, frowning minutely.

     "It'll make Bucky happy so of course you're going to." Sam countered, raising an eyebrow at Steve.

     "What kind of dog?" Tony asked, glancing between the two of them.

     After a moment, Steve sighed and, looking over at Tony, replied, "A three legged pit that goes by the name of Colonel."

     "Oh, I think I know what dog you're talking about. She was on the news a few months back because of the severity of her abuse and the criminal case involving her owner. Has her own Facebook page and a really large following. Though, not very many people would actually adopt her because of her breed." Bruce said, smiling softly as he headed towards the refrigerator.

     Tony looked at Steve curiously before he shrugged and said, "She's being trained as a therapy dog for veterans right?"

     "From what I'm told, yes." Steve said, leaning back in his seat.

     "A dog like Colonel could do us all some good." Sam said, taking another sip of his drink.

     "A dog like who?" Natasha asked, walking in with Clint.

     "Colonel. The pit who was on the news a few months back." Sam said, downing the rest of his drink before tossing the can into the recycler.

     "She's a sweet dog." Clint said, hopping up on a seat beside Steve.

     "You've met her?" Steve asked, frowning slightly.

     "I gave Barnes a ride to the shelter a few weeks ago and decided to see why he kept going so often." Clint said, shrugging a shoulder.

     "He's almost as in love with that dog as he is with you, Steve." Natasha said, plucking a bottle of water out of the door as Bruce rummaged around for something to make for lunch.

     Steve sighed and, looking at the ceiling, asked no one in particular, "Why is everyone convinced Bucky's in love with me?" Before any of his friends could give him any sort of an answer, he looked at Natasha and said, "I'm going to need you to keep Buck busy and away from the shelter for a few days. Preferably out of the tower too."

      "You're actually adopting her?" Sam asked, grinning.

     Steve looked at the photo on his phone and said, "Yeah. We'll figure out how to take care of her as we go. It's not like planning things usually works for us anyway."

     Natasha smirked and said, "I'll talk to Coulson about getting me and Barnes on a mission. Call Maggie and tell her what you're planning."

 

     It wasn't until a week later, when Steve and Bucky are sparring in the gym, that Natasha waltzed in and said, "C'mon, Barnes, we've got a mission."

     Bucky sighed and, ducking out of the ring, asked, "Where are we off to this time?"

     "Malta. We'll be about a week. I'll tell you more on the plane." Natasha said, watching him unwrap his flesh-and-blood hand.

     Bucky nodded and, glancing back at Steve, said, "We'll have to postpone our shelter trip. Unless you want to go by yourself."

     "I think I will head over tomorrow. I haven't been in a while." Steve said, shooting a grateful look at Natasha when Bucky had turned his back to him once more.

     "Say hi to Colonel for me, Punk." Bucky said, looking back down at his gym bag and tucking his tape into a side pocket.

     "Will do, Jerk. Stay safe and don't do anything stupid." Steve said, smiling softly.

     "How can I? I'm leaving all the stupid with you." Bucky joked, shooting Steve a shit-eating grin.

     "As much as I enjoy watching you two nonagenarians flirt like teenagers, we really do need to get going." Natasha said, smirking and raising an eyebrow at them as Steve blushed and Bucky merely rolled his eyes.

     Steve watched the two of them leave the gym before heading back to his room and getting a quick shower. After he was dressed, he headed down to Tony and Bruce's shared lab. Tony looked up as Steve walked in and asked, "Sargent Winter leave on his mission?"

     "Buck and Natasha left about twenty minutes ago." Steve said, shooting a curious look at the schematics that were pulled up behind Tony.

     Noticing Steve's curious look, Tony said, "After taking a look at nonagenarian number two's arm, I've been working on developing more advanced prosthesis for our vets and civilians that are a hell of a lot cheaper than what we've got now. Though, these-" he motioned to the plans behind him, "-are for Colonel. Poor girl deserves to walk on four legs after everything she's been through."

     "That's....really nice of you." Steve said, blinking slowly. It still surprised him whenever Tony did something seemingly unselfish. First impressions die hard, after all.

     "It's been known to happen." Tony said, shrugging and standing. Walking past Steve, Tony continued, "So, let's go get your girl and the essentials of dog ownership."

     Nodding absently, Steve followed Tony back to the elevator and Tony told JARVIS to take them down to the garage. The two of them were silent as the elevator started it's decent. Once in the lower level garage that was for the Avenger's personal vehicles, Tony led them down the row of vehicles, all belonging to Tony, that Steve was pretty sure the prices of would give him a heart attack. Tony motioned for him to get into the passenger's side of a Rolls-Royce; one of the few brands that Steve actually recognized on sight these days.

     Once he was buckled in and Tony had started the car, Steve turned to him and asked, "Aren't you afraid that Colonel will scratch up the backseat?"

     "I've got a blanket in the trunk that I'll throw down so her nails don't do any damage. Don't worry, Capsicle, even if the tripod wonderdog scratches up the back seat, it's not that big of a deal."

     "If you say so." Steve said, shaking his head and looking out of the window. Steve appreciated that Tony, for once, didn't feel the need to fill the silence that fell between them with inane chatter. It wasn't that he didn't like Tony, he just didn't feel the need to fill any sort of silence with noise 24/7.

 

     Maggie groaned softly and muttered under her breath as the bell over the door chimed softly. It had been a long morning dealing with a few rather rowdy new arrivals and she didn't really feel like dealing with humans right now. Sighing softly and plastering on a fake smile, she straightened up from her crouched position on the floor beside her desk where she had been looking for the file on one of their older dogs. Her fake smile shifted into a more genuine one when she saw Steve walking towards the counter with a sheepish smile. Stretching slightly so that her back popped, she said, "Hey, Cap. Where's Sarge?"

     "Out on a mission." Steve said, smiling slightly. Maggie nodded and had just started to reach for the volunteer sheet when Steve continued, "I'm not here to volunteer, not today anyway. I'm actually here to adopt Colonel." Maggie paused and stared at Steve, seemingly at a loss for words. Steve cleared his throat and said, with a touch of uncertainty, "That is, if she's still up for adoption..."

     Shaking her head to clear it, Maggie nodded and, with a shy smile, said, "Of course she's still up for adoption. I knew you wanted to, I just didn't think you'd be by so soon. What made you change your mind? You didn't tell me when you called."

     "That photo you sent me." Steve said, rubbing the back of his neck as a light blush dusted his cheeks.

     "It did its job then." Maggie said, smiling brightly as she leaned over the counter to look into the main lobby. Spotting one of her colleagues, she called, "Raleigh, hey, go get Colonel and get her set up in the adoption room."

     Steve looked around and spotted a fairly tall androgynous person with short cropped black hair look up from where they were straightening some pamphlets on a side table. Raleigh was dressed in what Steve assumed was, based on his observation, fairly standard for the shelter's employees; a pair of comfortable jeans, a gray "Guardian's Pet Rescue" tee, and a pair of well-worn work boots. Steve absently noted that Raleigh's facial features were distinctly South Asian and briefly wondered, if given the opportunity, if he could find the right light to showcase Raleigh's tanned skin. Raleigh smiled brightly at Maggie and gave her a thumbs up before disappearing through the door leading to the kennels. Turning his back to Maggie, Steve shot her a perplexed look and asked, "Adoption room?"

     "Rules. We've got to see how y'all interact." Maggie said, shrugging and glancing behind Steve when the door opened again. Raising a meticulously shaped eyebrow, she said, "Can I help you, sir?"

     Steve turned around to see Tony looking around the lobby curiously. He waved a hand absently, not looking away from the wall of photos showcasing the animals in the shelter, and said, "I'm just here to be the chauffeur for Capsicle and the tripod wonderdog."

     "Mm, alright, Mr. Stark." Maggie said, shaking her head and gathering some paperwork and securing it onto a clipboard.

     After a couple moments Raleigh's head appeared from the doorway of a side room and said, "Mags, Colonel's all set up in here."

     "Thanks, Rals." Maggie said, walking out of her little office area with the clipboard in hand. Raleigh nodded and was about to disappear again when Maggie asked, "Oh, I forgot to ask this morning when you came in, but which pronoun today? I know you said just to use they when I'm not sure but I figured it's safer to ask."

     Raleigh smiled kindly and, with a soft chuckle, said, "It's a xe day; thanks for asking."

     "No probs. I told you when we hired you that your comfort was what concerned us most." Maggie said, shooting xem an affectionate smile. Raleigh grinned and nodded before xe headed back towards the kennels.

     Steve raised an eyebrow at Maggie and asked, "Xe?"

     "A gender-neutral pronoun. There's a lot of them nowadays actually." Maggie said, motioning for Steve to follow her. Catching Steve's puzzled look, Maggie explained, "Raleigh's gender fluid so the pronoun changes; sometimes weekly, sometimes daily. I find it safer to ask what pronoun xe's using that day than to accidentally misgender xem."

     "Huh...but...xe only has one name?" Steve asked, glancing the way Raleigh had left.

     "As far as xe's told me, yes. Some genderfluid individuals have different names depending on what gender they are but Raleigh likes xyr name just fine from what xe's told me."

     "Oh...."

     "I know it's quite a bit different than the 40s but...people are finally starting to be able to be themselves now. To label themselves how they want and not be forced into a gender they don't feel like they align with."

     Steve smiled slightly and said, "It's not a new idea, Maggie. Your generation didn't invent non-binary individuals or sexualities outside of heterosexuality. I'm just glad that it's more accepted now and that no one has to hide."

     "Not as accepted as we'd like and a lot of us still do have to hide but...we're getting there, Cap. It's rough but...it can be worth it." Maggie said, smiling slightly and opening the door.

     Steve nodded and made a mental note to do some more research about gender identities and sexualities later that night. As they walked in, Colonel looked up from her cushion and her tail thumped loudly against the floor. Steve sat down on the floor and let Colonel walk over to him. He was surprised when she merely crawled into his lap and curled up with her chin on his thigh; much like she had been doing when he'd found Bucky with her. Steve smiled softly and, running a hand down her side, said, "Well aren't you a loveable pup." Colonel merely huffed and wiggled slightly to get more comfortable before dropping back off to into a light doze.

     Maggie giggled and said, "Well, I guess she's made her decision."

     "Does she ride well in cars?" Steve asked, looking up at Maggie as she wrote something down.

     "She loves car rides and does very well. Actually, the few times we've had her in a car, she just curled up and went to sleep. She also plays very well with others, humans or dogs or cats or whatever. She's almost done with her training as well so you'll have to take her to that. Do you have all the equipment?"

     "We're going to head to the pet store after here. What kind of collar do you suggest?"

     "I'd suggest a harness for walks just because she's not the best on a leash and we don't want her choking herself accidently. A regular collar like the one she has on now should be fine."

     "Tony was going to make her a prosthetic." Steve said, looking down at Colonel and running his hand down her stub.

     "That would be a good idea." Maggie said, making a few more notes on her clipboard. Frowning slightly, she looked at Steve and said, "Normally we wouldn't let you take her today....There's usually a home visit with the dog and a short waiting period as well as a long ass questionnaire to fill out."

     "Oh..."

     "But a couple hours after you'd hung up with me, I got a call from Miss Potts and we figured everything else out. I actually stopped by a few days ago to do the home visit while you and Sarge were out on a run around central park. Colonel got along really well with everyone that she'd be interacting with on a daily basis and seemed to like the tower well enough. All you've got to do is sign on the dotted line, pay the fee, and then she's yours."

     "That's great." Steve said, smiling as he looked back down at Colonel. He could see why Bucky had fallen so hard for her, all she wanted was a warm lap and a few pets.

     "It's possible that she may accidentally hurt one of you though. She's not fully aware of her strength." Maggie warned, looking back down at her clipboard and making a few more notes.

     Steve nodded and said, "Yeah, Buck's had some "unexplained" bruises the past couple months. We both heal fairly fast and I'm sure the other's will understand."

     "Alright, well, the paperwork is now filled out, all I need is for you to sign and pay the fee." Maggie said, handing the clipboard and a pen to Steve.

     Steve checked over the paperwork before signing it and handing the clipboard back to Maggie. He patted Colonel's side and said, "C'mon, girl. Lemme up so I can take you home." Colonel huffed softly before rolling out of Steve's lap and standing up. Steve stood and stretched his legs while Maggie hooked a leash to Colonel's collar. Maggie handed him the leash before heading towards the door. Colonel looked up at Steve as if to ask if they were following her or not. Steve smiled softly at her and opened the door to let Colonel out first. He thought she walked a little oddly compared to other dogs he'd seen but he attributed that to the fact that she only had three legs at the moment.

  

    Tony wandered over to kneel down beside Colonel while Steve paid the adoption fee and made a sizable donation to the shelter. After letting her sniff his hand and generally making sure she remembered him, Tony ran a hand over her shoulder and down to her stump with a thoughtful expression. He was so busy adjusting his mental schematics for her prosthesis that he didn't notice that Colonel was regarding him with a mischievous glint in her whiskey colored eyes until she leaned over and licked the side of his face all the way from his chin to his hairline. Blinking, he looked at her and said, "Thank you for that, but it's usually polite to ask to kiss someone before doing so." Colonel merely cocked her head to the side and gave him a dog's version of a grin. Tony huffed softly and stood up just in time for Steve to look over at him with a raised eyebrow. Tony frowned and said, indignantly, "What?"

     "Were you talking to Colonel?"

     "She licked me..." He said, rolling his eyes and grabbing a tissue from the box on the counter to wipe the side of his face off.

     "Yeah, she's big on puppy-kisses." Maggie said, smiling cheekily as she leaned back in her chair and her own blue-gray eyes twinkled with mirth.

     "We all set?" Tony asked, looking up at Steve after he tossed the tissue in a wastebasket.

     "Yeah. We've still got to stop by the pet store to get her....well....everything."

     "You have a vet?" Tony asked as they walked out of the shelter and towards his car.

     "I'm going to keep her going to the same one since all her medical stuff is through them and she already has a rapport with them. It's not too far from the tower but I'm still going to need to actually get a car to transport her regularly." Steve said, stopping beside the back door and making Colonel sit while Tony grabbed the blanket from the trunk and spread it out across the back seat.

  

     It was around three in the afternoon and Sam was the only one in the Avengers' shared living room. He had been intending to watch a documentary on the history channel but ended up lightly dozing on the couch instead. Out of nowhere he felt something very large and very heavy land on his chest and stomach. Grunting, the ex-paratrooper cracked an eye open to see a taupe colored red-nosed pitbull staring at him curiously. _Ah, Colonel's home_. He thought when he noticed that the dog only had one front leg. Frowning and blinking his eyes open, he stared back at Colonel and waited to see what she would do. After a moment, Colonel let out a short huff and licked his face before tucking her head between his head and the back of the couch. Looking around, he saw Tony and Steve carrying a shit ton of bags in from the elevator. Scratching behind Colonel's ear, Sam said, "I think she cracked one of my ribs."

     Steve winced and said, "Sorry, Sam. She's a little...excited to be here."

     "I can see this." Sam said, tilting his head to look at Colonel; who looked like she was going to fall asleep on him. Chuckling, he said, "Hey, girlie, no falling asleep on me. I kinda need to breath and you're heavier than you look."

     Colonel huffed softly before carefully climbing off of him and heading towards the wall of windows to check out the view. After making sure she wasn't going anywhere else, Sam smiled slightly and hauled himself up off the couch to help Steve and Tony with the bags. Once they had everything stowed away in Steve's bedroom, Tony disappeared back down to the labs to make some adjustments on the plans for Colonel's prosthesis. Steve sighed softly and flopped down on his bed as Colonel came trotting in. Sam smiled slightly as she took a running leap up onto the bed and curled up by Steve's hip.

     "Looks like she's settling in nicely." Sam said, flopping down on the chaise set in the corner beside Steve's bookshelves.

      "I think she's just happy to have a real home." Steve said, scratching behind her ear.

     "Is she going to sleep in here or in Bucky's room?" Sam asked, looking over at Steve curiously.

     "Where ever she wants. Tony said he was going to program JARVIS to let her into anyone's room that she deems needs her."

     "How long does she have left in her training?"

     Steve frowned slightly and said, "Let's see. The shelter took her in about a year ago then she had six months of rehab to get back to a level of health that allowed them to start training her. Maggie said that they integrated the PTSD service dog training in with the average training and Buck's been working with her just about every day for about two months on top of what the shelter's been giving her so she's got maybe another week or two left before we can certify her."

     "Good. We could use a PTSD dog with the amount of nightmares and panic attacks that go on in this place." Sam said, leaning his head back against the arm of the chaise.

     "I know Buck has them sometimes but..."

     "I know Natasha and Clint sometimes have them because they've ended up with in the living room watching kids’ movies at three in the morning after I've had one. Bruce seems to be the only one who doesn't but he also has to deal with Tony's so I guess there's that." Sam said, looking over at Steve; who merely hummed softly and stared up at the ceiling as he continued to stroke Colonel's head. Smiling slightly, he asked, "What all did you two get for Colonel?"

     "A water bowl and a food bowl which will be kept in the kitchen. Some fancy food that Maggie suggested and treats for training her. Doggie bags for when we take her out and a few toys to play with in case she gets bored. We got her a black digital camo collar with a matching heavy duty harness and heavy duty leash. I sprung for the military dog tag style tags and made sure that one listed Buck as the owner and the other listed me." Steve said, shutting his eyes as he continued to pet Colonel's head.

  

    Three days later, Steve and Colonel were sprawled out on the couch in the shared living room while Steve watched a documentary on the Korean War on the history channel. As soon as it went to commercial, JARVIS said, "Captain Rogers, Mr. Stark requests your presence in the lab. He asks that you bring along Colonel as well."

     Steve sighed softly and said, "Alright. Tell him we'll be right down." Once JARVIS had responded positively, Steve unfolded himself from the couch and headed towards the elevator with Colonel trailing behind him. She'd wandered around the shared living space and his room the first day but had stuck close to him after that. Steve wondered briefly what it would be like when Bucky got back and she started sleeping with him instead. He'd gotten used to her presence at the foot of his bed and wasn't sure he wanted to give that up just yet.

     Striding into the lab, Steve eyed the stranger seated on a rolling stool beside Tony and Bruce warily. Tony grinned, kneeling down to scratch behind Colonel's ear, and said, "Ah, Colonel, just the dog we were looking for. We're fitting you with your prosthetic today. You'll be walking on four legs in no time."

     "It's not surgery is it?" Steve asked, eyeing the equipment surrounding Tony warily.

     "Non-invasive. It's just to connect the nerves so she has a full range of motion. We're not grafting the damn thing to her spine like Sargent Winter's original one was." Tony said, waving a hand and standing up.

     "We'll be using localized anesthesia and giving her a sedative to make sure she doesn't move around too much and end up hurting herself." Bruce explained, petting Colonel's head when she sniffed at his pant leg.

     When Steve turned to the woman and raised an eyebrow at her, she smiled and said, "Dr. Ada Ramirez. I'm the in-house surgeon for the City Vet and Dr. Banner called me in to assist Mr. Stark. I decided to do it pro-bono since I was the one who had to amputate her leg in the first place."

     Steve nodded and smiled down at Colonel when she plopped down beside him. Crouching down, he scratched behind her ear and said, "Well girl. Are you ready for this?" When Colonel merely licked his chin before clamoring up onto the metal surgery table and lying down, Steve chuckled and straightened. Petting Colonel's head again, he said, "I'll be in the kitchen and have JARVIS keep me updated."

     Tony nodded while Bruce and Dr. Ramirez busied themselves with getting everything set up. Colonel laid down on the table with her undamaged leg against the table and Steve petted her side as Dr. Ramirez administered the sedative. Once he made sure that he wasn't needed anymore, Steve turned and left the lab and headed to the kitchen. Clint and Sam were sitting at the counter debating between ordering out and making homemade pizza. Steve chuckled softly at the two of them and shook his head as he dug around in the refrigerator for something to drink.

  

     Natasha watched as Bucky walked into the shelter with a small spring in his step. As soon as he disappeared inside, she pulled out her phone and texted Steve. 

_To: Star Spangled Man_

_Eeyore just headed into the shelter. ETA half an hour once he comes back out. Which should be shortly if he checks in with Flowers first. c.c_

_From: Star Spangled Man_

_Alright. I made beef stew so don't worry too much about it if you can't get him to eat on the way back._

_To: Star Spangled Man_

_Aye, aye, Captain. =P_  

     Natasha looked up just in time to see Bucky walking back out of the shelter. Putting on her best concerned friend look, she slid her phone back into her pocket and watched him slide back into the passenger's seat. Raising an eyebrow at him when he slammed the door with a little more force than necessary and nearly yanked the seatbelt out of the frame, Natasha asked, "Something wrong?"

     "Colonel got adopted and Maggie wouldn't tell me by who. Can we go back to the tower?" Bucky asked, resting his head against the headrest.

     "You don't want to get dinner?" Natasha asked, turning on the car and putting it in gear.

     "I'm not hungry. I just want to get back to the tower and sulk."

     "You really loved Colonel."

     "Almost as much as I love Steve." Bucky replied absentmindedly. After a beat, he scowled and added, "But of course the cosmos or God or whomever the fuck decides this shit had determined that I'm fated to always want what I can't have. I can't even figure out if half the shit I remember is actually something that happened or some fantasy that I cooked up back then because I was carrying a torch for my best friend."

     "You could always just ask." Natasha said, looking over at Bucky.

     "Oh yeah, how's that gonna go. _Hey, Stevie, did we happen to declare our undying love for each other before the war or am I just that brain damaged that I can't tell reality from fantasy over a year later?_ " Bucky said, snorting derisively and looking out the window.

     "It's better than stewing in silence." Natasha said, shrugging a shoulder as she weaved her way through traffic.

     "Yeah, worst case scenario is that I lose my best friend." Bucky said, rolling his eyes and glaring out the window.

     "Best case scenario is that you get to be happy with the man that you've loved since you were a teenager." Natasha pointed out, glancing over at Bucky again.

     "Still won't have my damn dog." Bucky grumbled, reaching over and flicking on the radio. Natasha rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. She wasn't about to ruin the surprise Steve had been working on all week just because Bucky was getting all pouty.

  

     Steve paced back and forth in his room while Colonel laid on his bed and just watched him lazily. It had taken a couple days for her to get used to her prosthesis but now it was as though she'd never been confined to three legs at all. Tony had done an excellent job on making the foreleg hook up to her nerves just so and Steve couldn't help but smile at the fact that he'd painted a wing on it like Bucky had; which he knew was a throwback to their old uniforms from the war.

     "Captain Rogers, Sargent Barnes and Miss Romanov have arrived in the common area." JARVIS said, pulling Steve from his worried pacing.

     "Thank you, JARVIS." Steve said before turning to look at Colonel. Adopting his best commanding voice, he pointed at her and said, "Stay. No barking." Colonel merely huffed and rested her chin on her front paws. Steve sighed softly and headed out of his room, making sure to pull the door closed behind himself. He had just started towards the living room when he saw Bucky turn the corner. _Holy shit, he looks pissed_. Steve thought to himself as he plastered on what he hoped wasn't a nervous smile.

     Bucky looked up from the floor and Steve saw some of the tension bleed out of his shoulders. Bucky's expression also softened slightly as he took a step forward and rested his head on Steve's shoulder. Steve smiled slightly and reached up to run his fingers through Bucky's hair as Bucky's hands came up to rest on Steve's waist.

     "Glad you made it back in one piece." Steve said, smiling slightly and Bucky huffed softly.

     "Not much danger on this last one, Punk. Coulda taken some stupid with me if I wanted ta." Bucky said, stepping closer to Steve so that their chests were touching more firmly.

     "I got a surprise for you while you were gone." Steve murmured, continuing to card his fingers through Bucky's hair.

     "My birthday was like five months ago and yours was over a month ago." Bucky said, frowning slightly but not picking his head up from Steve's shoulder.

     "I know. I just wanted to get you something that I thought would make you happy."

     "Steve, I am happy." Bucky said, sighing softly and moving to rest his forehead against Steve's neck.

     "Ok, something that I thought would make you happ _ier_." Steve said, chuckling softly.

     "Fine. Where is this something?"

     "You'll see, you have to close your eyes."

     "Ugh, fine." Bucky said, straightening up and shutting his eyes then covering them with his metal hand. Steve chuckled softly and gently led him to his room. As they walked in Colonel lifted her head up but, staying obedient to Steve's previous command, didn't bark. Steve shut the door with his foot as he lead Bucky to stand in front of Colonel but still a few feet away from his bed. Bucky sighed softly and said, "Can I open my eyes yet?"

     Steve shot a look at Colonel, who was currently dancing in place on his bed, and said, "Yeah, you can open your eyes." Steve stayed behind Bucky as the other man chuckled and let his hand drop to his side. He smiled slightly when Bucky gasped loudly before he rushed forward and vaulted himself onto the bed with Colonel. Steve outright laughed when Colonel pounced on him and started licking his face enthusiastically.

     "Jesus Christ, Stevie, I can't believe you...Mags said that she'd been adopted but I didn't....Holy fucking shit. You adopted a dog for me." Bucky said, sitting up and wrestling Colonel into his lap so he could look at Steve.

     Blushing at the look of pure adoration on Bucky's face, Steve smiled shyly and said, "You deserve to be happy and get what you want, Buck."

     Bucky blushed and looked down at Colonel again. He raised an eyebrow when he noticed the metal prosthesis and asked, "Who did the prosthetic?"

     "Tony. He said that she deserved to walk on all fours after all she'd been through so you'll have to thank him for that one." Steve replied, chuckling softly as Colonel rolled out of Bucky's lap and proceeded to wallow all over his bed like she owned the damn thing. Which, granted, she pretty much did since Steve allowed her to sleep on it every night since he'd brought her home.

     "Yeah, I'll thank him tomorrow." Bucky said, sliding off the bed and wiping the dog slobber off of his face with the hem of his t-shirt.

     Steve smiled as he looked down at his socks, glad that he'd been able to make Bucky happy. He didn't hear Bucky crossing his room but he did feel a shift in the air when his friend got closer. Looking up, he blinked in surprise that Bucky was now standing in front of him with a shy smile. Steve blushed harder when Bucky reached up and cupped his cheek with his right hand and let his left hand curl around his hip. He couldn't discern the look in Bucky's eyes but he felt like he'd seen it before. A long, long time ago. Licking his lips, Steve breathily asked, "Buck? What're you doing?"

     "Thanking you." Bucky said, smirking playfully and swiping his thumb across Steve's cheek. Steve was about to ask what he meant by that when Bucky leaned up, slotted his lips against Steve's, and squeezed his eyes shut; as if he were afraid of seeing Steve reject him. Contrary to what he expected, Steve, almost immediately, melted into the kiss and let his eyes slip shut to fully enjoy the sensation of Bucky's lips against his own. Bucky suppressed a moan when Steve reached up to card his right hand through his hair and curled his left hand around his hip. Instead, he gently sucked on Steve's bottom lip and let his hand tangle in Steve's hair.

     Steve groaned softly into the kiss and tightened his grip on Bucky's hair. Bucky seemed to take this as the good sign that it was and gently bit down on Steve's bottom lip; not hard enough to break the skin but not so gently that the other man couldn't feel it. Steve whimpered softly and pulled Bucky closer, shifting to kiss along his jaw.

     "Fuck me." Bucky whispered, letting his head drop back and tilting it to the side a little to allow Steve to brush his lips over his pulse.

     Steve chuckled softly and murmured against Bucky's throat, "Not with Colonel in the room. We're not scarring our dog for life."

     Bucky hummed contently and said, "True. She's had enough trauma in her life. Don't want to make her watch her daddies bone each other." Steve nipped at Bucky's pulse point before straightening up. Cracking an eye half-open, Bucky looked at Steve and asked, "Why'd you stop?"

     "Because if I don't stop now, in a few minutes I'm not going to be able to stop myself from pushing you onto my bed and having my way with you." Steve replied, pulling himself out of Bucky's embrace and walking over to where Colonel lay on his bed.

     Bucky watched as Steve sat down on his bed and petted Colonel. Frowning, he asked, "Why do I get the feeling that that wasn't the first time we'd kissed?"

     "Because it wasn't." Steve said, glancing up at Bucky. "I wasn't sure what you remembered from before the war and I didn't...I didn't want to guilt you into anything."

     "I remember a lot of things but...I'm not sure what really happened and what was just me...wishing would've happened." Bucky admitted, crossing the room to sit beside Colonel and pet her as well.

     "What would you like to get confirmed?" Steve asked, looking over at Bucky with a small smile.

     "Did I ever tell you that I loved you?"

     "Not in so many words but...I think I knew. It was hard, back then. For guys like us."

     "How many times did we kiss?"

     "Six times before you fell. Five before you shipped out and once right after I rescued you from Zola's lab."

     "Did we fuck?"

     "We fooled around quite a bit but there was only actual penetrative sex less than a handful of times. We never did have sex after I got the serum though."

     "Did one of them involve...." Bucky frowned and looked up at Steve. "I remember you...well, skinny you, in a dress...."

     Chuckling softly, Steve blushed and said, "That was only once. You wanted to take me on a...a sort of normal date. Out of the two of us, I was the only one who could actually pass for a dame when I was made up right. Susie from down the hall helped us out."

     "I thought for sure that was one of the ones I made up." Bucky said, chuckling softly

     "Pretty sure that's one of my favorite memories." Steve admitted, looking down at Colonel and scratching her chest.

     "Are we...Can I....Fuck, Steve, can we actually...give this relationship thing a shot? Now that it's not...now that we're not going to get chucked in jail, or worse, for it?" Bucky asked, looking over at Steve.

     "Of course, Buck. I just....I wasn't sure what all you remembered and if you still felt the same way." Steve said, grinning brightly and leaning over to give Bucky a sweet, chaste peck on the lips. Standing up, he offered his hand to Bucky and said, "C'mon. I made beef stew and I can tell you haven't eaten yet."

     Bucky grinned and allowed Steve to pull him up off the bed. Steve gave Bucky another quick, chaste, kiss before leading him out of the bedroom with Colonel trotting behind them. Bucky glanced back at Colonel and then looked up at Steve, feeling more at home and happy than he could remember ever feeling.


End file.
